


Professor Perdu

by Fan_of_boats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animagus, Attempt at Humor, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Care of Magical Creatures, Chronic Pain, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Desi Harry Potter, Dogs, Familiars, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Crack, Food, Friendship, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Herbology, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff & Slytherin Inter-House Friendships, Kindness, Mild Language, Moral Ambiguity, Muggle Studies, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nobody is Dead, Nonbinary Character, Other, POV Original Character, Philosophy, Politics, Potions, Psychology, Responsibility, Scars, School, Shapeshifting, Slytherin, Slytherpuff, Swearing, Teaching, Trans Character, Work In Progress, hufflepunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-17 13:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20622053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan_of_boats/pseuds/Fan_of_boats
Summary: "Jimmy" Perdu just had a few suggestions really. Was improving the way students learned at Hogwarts too much to ask? After dipping her toe in politics, she gets a lot more than she bargained for when she becomes the latest muggle studies professor.





	1. Professor Perdu

**Author's Note:**

> I had some ideas about teaching and Hogwarts and a character that sort of sprang into being. So I decided to share this. I'm hoping to add more to it soon, and flesh out Perdu's background. For now, this takes place at some point when all the main characters are alive. Maybe Harry is one of the students. Perhaps this is before the war and Voldy's defeat.

All my lobbying, palm-greasing, schmoozing, and petitioning for improved curriculum had culminated in this. I was the newest muggle studies professor with a mastery in care of magical creatures and a muggle psychology degree. I would be teaching ALL Hogwarts students at some point, since one of my schemes was to make the class mandatory. Not only was this outside my field of study, I had never worked with children before! But apparently my vision for the future could only be brought to light if I stepped out of politics for a moment and just did it myself. The assholes at the Ministry and Board of Governors no doubt thought this a punishment to prove my ideas would never work.

"Language arts is an odd name for the subject, since it was only taught in one language. Sometimes it was simply called "English" but it was more like literary analysis in upper years, since it was expected that students were already fluent in the language."

How had I even gotten on this topic? Oh right, someone asked what sorts of subjects muggles their age learned.

A ravenclaw girl raised her hand. I was terrible with names, which was unfortunate for someone ensconced in politics, but I managed to avoid using names whenever I was uncertain. No one had ever caught on except for the times I'd chanced to guess a name and gotten it terribly wrong. "Luscious McFloy" had turned bright pink at being called that. But seriously, had all of wizarding Britain collectively decided to have super weird niche names? This is why I usually went by "Jimmy."

"Yes?" I pointed to the girl with her hand politely raised.

"Professor, what did literary analysis entail?"

"Well, it was supposed to be about dissecting meanings from texts and learning to interpret what you read. In my classes we mostly were told to read certain books and then act out scenes in front of the class. It was awful for any shy kids. I made an absolute" don't say ass, "idiot of myself many times because of nerves and my need to be dramatic."

A hand shot up in the second row of desks.

"Yes?"

His seatmate elbowed him and whispered for him to shut up, he spoke anyway. "You shouldn't say idiot, Professor. You explained last week that words like that are degrading and destructive."

Fuck. "You're right. 10 points to Gryffindor! It's very brave to tell someone when they're doing something wrong, especially an authority figure. I recommend everyone stand up for what's right when they can, but not endanger themselves. This was an excellent example of what to do because..." what's his name? "The request was worded respectfully and this is a safe space to talk freely."

This is exactly what I had been working towards, but having it turned on me was a surprise. If they kept this up the other professors would hate me for sure.

A gryffindor in the first row muttered "Snape calls us idiots."

"And that's not right," I replied. The mutterer's eyes widened at being caught out but his fearful surprise morphed into a grin when he realized what I'd said.

The students started fidgeting and a few were shuffling away their notebooks. I checked the time.

"That's all for today. Don't forget to work on your essays due next Monday. It's tempting to leave them last minute but you never know what'll happen, you could get invited to a party or fall down the stairs or get a migraine... So it's best to get them done early."

Most of the students had already left, but a few of the keener ones lingered until I finished speaking. So much for respect.


	2. Tea and Teaching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy takes a break but is interrupted by some unexpected visitors.

It had been more than a month since teaching my first class, and this was my first free day. The past weekends didn't count because I had paperwork to finish, and essays to grade. After my fiftieth paper I had drastically reduced the amount of homework I assigned, to save myself the eyestrain. But I couldn't just cancel all the previous work I'd assigned, so I'd slogged through it whenever I wasn't in class or supervising. So here I was on my first free Saturday afternoon, still in bed.

I would have slept the whole day too, but a worried Hogwarts house elf had popped into existence beside me after I missed breakfast AND lunch. The elf shrieked in alarm when Jo, my gigantic black dog, raised his head to look at her from behind me. I petted his head and explained she had nothing to fear from him, but she eyed me nervously even after introductions. Flipsy, that was her name, and I made sure to memorize it. House elf names were important to remember.

Flipsy had placed a tray of steaming tea and ham sandwiches on my nightstand and disappeared shyly after I thanked her a little too profusely to make up for the scare. I handed over a sandwich to Jo and sat up in bed to eat, dribbling crumbs all over the sheets which I then spelled clean. I flopped back down again after.

There were too many students! My days were now so full with classes I was considering applying for a Time-Turner. Naturally, I was assured my request would be denied. Wizarding Britain was big on tradition and here I was, a half-blood from a forgotten family rocking the boat big time. Another person should be teaching half these kids, but my oh-so-generous offer of a professorship had been a farce designed to prove my "radical" ideas impractical. 

So maybe I had manipulated a few of the wrong people, and they were out for vengeance. But, I was determined to succeed no matter what ridiculous obstacles were put in my way! At least Madam Pomfrey was still giving me Invigoration Draught despite her warnings about overuse.

The whole school seemed short-staffed. How did they all do it? There was about one professor for every subject and almost every class was dangerous. If there was an accident or if a professor was unwell, there was no backup. And a bunch of kids carrying deadly weapons (wands) and old prejudices absolutely needed supervision. Hogwarts was supposed to be the best wizarding school in Britain, how had they overlooked this conundrum! Okay, fixing this would be my next crusade.

The idea had been to introduce all the students to critical thinking and appreciation of other cultures. So I had pushed for muggle studies to be mandatory, even for muggleborns. If muggleborns were constantly thrust into classes where purebloods had the advantage of prior experience, why couldn't the opposite occur?

Ignorance often is the root of prejudice, and there is far too much prejudice in the world. While changing adult's minds is possible, it can be difficult, which is why I thought teaching children to be more thoughtful from the beginning was a brilliant plan. Of course, talking about grand ideals and what should be done was a lot easier than actually doing anything.

Hogwarts had a rampant bullying problem, but this was not an isolated problem. Despite my love of learning, school had always been an ordeal, whether in Hogwarts or muggle school in Canada (the stereotype that Canadians are all nice is a myth, eh). But the kids that are bullies are still children, and I hoped could be taught better.

So many of the "mean" students seemed to be regurgitating rhetoric they didn't truly understand but had heard people around them (especially their parents) spew. This is why I stressed independent thinking and questioning authority. Had people learned nothing from all the bloody wars?

The other professors were not exempt from my ire. While I could forgive an ignorant child who didn't know any better, too many teachers turned a blind eye to escalating rivalries and general meanness, or worse, were bullies themselves. I couldn't stop thinking about what that nervous Gryffindor boy had said about Professor Snape. If he was outright insulting his students, who knows what bullying behaviors he let students get away with, or what other Professors did as well? Although, now that I'd been a Professor I could understand their oversight. This was exhausting! Once again I'm reminded of the necessity of more staff.

I debated getting up and going to my desk to write down my latest plans, but it didn't seem worth it. My bed was comfortable, and three of Jo's massive paws were strewn across me. I accioed a quill and notebook instead, sinking back under the covers when I'd finished plotting.

My chambers were small, but had swiftly become my favourite place in the castle. While some might complain about the chill of stone walls, I saw it as an opportunity to use all my blankets at once and walk around in my favourite dramatic swishy robes. Jo was happy here too, as his dark fur was too thick for warmer climes, and he happily curled up with one of my blankets, not panting for a change.

On second thought, maybe my chambers weren't that small. The first thing I'd done upon moving in was transfigure my bed as big as would fit in this space. If I hadn't, Jo would surely have crushed me in my sleep. I had met him, or he found me, before my mastery was finished. He'd been clingy from the start. I'd been walking alone in a forest, when suddenly he just appeared by my side and never left. In all my research I found only that such a dog had appeared at least once before, when someone was lost in the same forest. Since my name literally meant "lost" I supposed it fit, as I most definitely knew how to get out of that forest and had not been wandering it aimlessly for days, thank you very much.

My research on Jo had fulfilled my mastery for care of magical creatures, but it had always felt hollow. He had chosen me, but I didn't think I'd done anything to deserve it. It's not like I had been searching for him or had to coax him out to study like other magizoologists did. Jo just decided to be my companion and that was it. I talked out loud to him constantly, but I wished (like many pet owners) he could talk back, and maybe tell me why.

He set his head on my thigh and looked up at me sympathetically. While he never made any noise other than a growl, I got the feeling he understood me. Or at least he was used to my emotions and reacted accordingly. Honestly, Jo was more thoughtful than most humans I'd met. I may be insecure about my credentials, but I was very grateful he was my friend.

A knock at my door interrupted my musing. Jo grumbled and sprang off the bed, kicking me in the stomach as he did so. I rolled out of bed, gripping my abdomen. 

I straightened my robes out with a quick charm. I was always fully dressed here, as robes were comfortable enough to sleep in and I was wary of being caught in my pajamas.

Jo faced the door. 

"Coming!" I shouted.

I gestured at Jo, drawing a loop in the air with my fingers. He rolled his dark doggy eyes at me and shrank into a white cat. His true identity was to remain hidden in front of others here, as he would likely not be allowed in the castle in his natural state, and he'd frighten the children I was trying to get to trust me.

I opened the door and realized my mistake shortly. The tiny visitor's green stare rose past my face and settled on my bedraggled hair that I'd forgotten to tidy up into my usual side swept style. Although it's not like his was any better. If I had black hair instead of auburn we could be shaggy hair twins. 

The visitor with green eyes that stood out against his dark fringe could be none other than Harry Potter. Now that was a memorable name, but perhaps only because of his fame. Harit, his legal name I'd found hidden in the student registrar, was even more memorable. I thought it more fitting as well, since when I'd looked up it's meaning it translated to "green" or "lion."

"Professor, is this a bad time?"

"No, come in. I did say anyone could come to me if they needed to."

He walked past me and I gestured for him to sit on one of the many armchairs I'd shoved into the living area. I'd tried to make the space as inviting as possible, but there was only so much one could do to make a dark dungeon room look appealing to others. This room assignment wasn't a punishment though, as I'd been initially offered an airy tower room. I chose the basement because I was very light averse as a chronic migraine sufferer, and didn't want a lovely room with a view wasted on me when I'd have the curtains drawn all the time.

I twisted my wrist so my wand would fall from its arm holster into my hand, and quickly flicked a few purple lights into existence before the boy could trip over something. I was used to the location of my things, he was not. The balls of light floated overhead like lazy balloons, and cast a gentle glow around the room.

He looked up in wonder at such simple magic and I couldn't help but smile. This is exactly why I was so passionate about reforming the school system. I hoped that more children could hang onto their natural curiosity for longer, and not have to face harsh realities while unprepared.

Harry found his way to a seat, so I chose the one across from him. He shivered a little at the cold leather so I willed the blanket from behind his chair to slip itself over his shoulders. He startled a little but smiled. Jo, having been ignored for a minute stalked over and jumped onto his lap to stare at me. I laughed a little at his passive-aggression. Harry gently stroked the base of Jo's ears, and he began to purr.

"Tea?"

"Oh, yes please."

I charmed the supplies to fly over to the coffee table between us and begin preparing itself. I may have prepared it magically, but the tea itself was muggle. Some things, like tea, could not be improved upon by magic.

I pushed some chocolate hobnobs towards him. The boy was so skinny he hardly looked fed! 

"So, Mr. Potter, or may I call you Harry? What brings you here on a Saturday afternoon?"

"Harry's fine. I had some questions... but they're not related to class."

"Then you may call me Jimmy. Ask away, I'm here to teach."

"Have you ever heard of Nicolas Flamel?"

Flamel... Flame, Fire, Melting... Alchemy!  
"Yes, he's that famous alchemist isn't he?"

"Yes. I was... doing a side research project and I wanted to know more about him. But the library didn't have much information on him. I was wondering if you could help me with my research."

There's probably many more books on him in the restricted section, after all Alchemy used to be a subject taught here. Aha!

"You know Professors have access to the restricted section."

He feigned surprise. Badly.

"Oh, do they?"

"I love the initiative you're showing for learning, but I have to ask why you're researching this particular subject."

I handed him a cup of tea as he thought over his response. He sipped it and his eyebrows flew up under his fringe.

"It's spicy!"

"It's spiced tea. Masala chai is my favorite."

"It's good. I just wasn't expecting that," he said quickly.

"Well, we're in an isolated castle for the better part of the year, so I figured having some interesting things on hand to try could liven it up a little. Besides, it's muggle tea so this is practically an extra lesson."

"There's another thing I was wondering about."

I sipped my tea and waited for the question.

"Why do the muggle-raised students still have to take muggle studies?"

"Have you ever heard of masala chai before?"

His face scrunched up in confusion.

"What does that have to do with...?"

"Just because you were raised muggle doesn't mean you have nothing more to learn. I wanted muggle studies to be mandatory for everyone because there is value in it, despite what some say."

"Oh."

"Sometimes the wisest action is to admit you don't know something."

We drank more of the tea in silence, the cups clinking loudly when set down.

"Now, are you ready to tell me why you're so interested in Flamel? I need to know you're not going to blow something up if I help you."

Of course I would probably help him anyway, as it would be better for him to have a responsible adult handy if he was doing something dangerous. The clever gleam in his eyes suggested he'd sneak off to do whatever he was planning regardless of my decision, so at least I could try and mitigate the risks.

"Alchemy's fascinating, and I was especially interested in the sorts of things Mr. Flamel may have made."

"It is an excellent subject. Unlimited gold and unlimited longevity are the lofty goals of alchemy. Such theoretical creations are very powerful, and thus can be very dangerous. Are you looking to make your own philosopher's stone?"

"What's that?"

"Alchemy used to be taught at Hogwarts. It's sort of a mishmash of transfiguration, potions, and arithmancy. The philosopher's stone is the rumoured creation of Flamel. He and his wife are supposed to still be around after all these centuries."

"So this stone can grant eternal life?"

"That's the myth. And myths have to start somewhere."

Harry set his empty cup on the coffee table. Jo, sensing a sudden mood change, hopped off his lap onto the table (rattling the china) and over to me. Harry leaped up from his seat and started inching past the other chairs.

"Thanks so much Professor, Jimmy! I have to go somewhere now. See you!"

"You're welcome Harry. Remember you can visit me whenever. Please tell me if you're going to do something dangerous before you do it. Even if it's the middle of the night!"

He turned and nodded, then swept out the door like a little cyclone, rustling the stacks of papers on my desk in his haste.  
I picked up Jo and headed back to bed. As soon as I lay down he transformed back, now heavy paws weighing me down. Lucky for me I wasn't planning on getting out of bed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during the Harry Potter series, starting from the beginning. Why not? But we all know and love those, so I'll refrain from repeating them and only mention if things change or Jimmy has a different view that's worth mentioning. 
> 
> Harry is always Desi to me. This headcanon adds a whole extra layer of context to his home life that I think is important. I looked up names that could have been anglicized into Harry and just thought Harit fit too well not to mention.


	3. Dog discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy and Jo go for a walk in the forest and uncover a few surprises, some pleasant others worrisome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Jimmy, being a more responsible adult than most of the professors.
> 
> Not edited. Feedback appreciated!

On Sunday Jo made it clear he wouldn't tolerate another lie-in day. I pulled on my waterproof boots in case it was soggy out, and wrapped a dark purple scarf tightly around the exposed part of my neck. Then, I looked at Jo expectantly and he heaved a sigh and shrunk down into feline form.

"Aren't you a pretty kitty!" I exclaimed to mess with him. He hissed a little, but let me pick him up and tuck him into my robes to hide him from view. He burrowed into the internal chest pocket I'd added just for him, and clung onto my shirt with his claws.

I set a few spells to tidy up my chambers while I was gone, and walked out of the castle unnoticed.

It was drizzling out and I breathed a sigh of relief and a spell to keep me and Jo dry. I don't mind rain at all, but before it rains the barometric pressure often wreaks havoc on me. I could have taught divination with how well I could predict the weather from my pain.

There didn't seem to be anyone else up and awake, but I walked a good distance from the castle before I let Jo out. He grew back into his natural form before his paws hit the ground. Then, he took off towards the forest.

I ran after him, but there was no way I could match his 4-legged speed. He circled back, nipping at my robes occasionally. He'd taken it upon himself to be my personal trainer, which I couldn't even begrudge him since I'd never been in better shape before I met him. As much as I dreaded climbing the many Hogwarts stairs, I didn't get winded by them like I did as a student.

We ran around the forest together, with Jo lapping me, until I was thoroughly out of breath and a little uncertain how to exit. I sat down in a dry spot under a tree and Jo stood by my side. I started looking around and then spotted a familiar short bush.

Blueberries! People who never foraged often didn't know that there were several types of blueberries. In Northern areas that seemed a bit too dry to produce anything delicious, I often found them. They liked alkaline soul and mottled sunlight, whereas strawberries like more direct sun. In particularly fortuitous areas the two berries could be found growing near each other despite their differences. Of course, that was during my travels in Canada.

I approached the bush, and upon closer inspection of the smooth ended berries that did not have a little star on top, concluded they were blaeberries. That made more sense for the Scottish Highlands than blueberries anyway. Blaeberries were close enough to blueberries in my book, so I pulled a shrunken box from a pocket and expanded it.

These berries were probably the last stragglers of the season, and thus would be the sweetest. I tried one to be sure. It was tart but delicious, and a lot more delicate than a blueberry. I handled them extra carefully to avoid smushing them. When I'd picked all the ripe ones that weren't shrivelled beyond recognition, I turned to Jo and he lead me out of the forest.

Away from the safety of the trees the rain seemed to be coming down harder. Regardless of my rain repelling charm, I was glad I'd worn my boots.

A cheerful voice boomed out from the side. "Hullo, Jimmy!"

Shit. Had he seen Jo?

"Tha's a great dog yeh got there!"

Fuck. I hurried over to the voice so hopefully he'd stop yelling and wake up the whole school to catch me with my Barghest. What was his name... Hamish? I'd met all the staff members at the welcome speech. Many I knew from my student days, but a lot I didn't. When introduced to so many new people, all their names got horribly mixed up in my mind. This man was the groundskeeper, and he'd been around when I was a student but I'd never actually met him before. He seemed friendly enough. Maybe I could salvage this.

"Morning! What are you doing up so early?"

"I's feedin' me animals. What were yeh doin' in the forest?" He eyed me speculatively.

"Jo wanted a run. You won't tell anyone about him, will you?"

Jo and I looked at him pleadingly.

"He's no' a regular dog, is he?"

"No," I admitted. "Which is why I don't want anyone else to know about him. They might not let me keep him. He's not dangerous to the kids! It's just people's perceptions..."

There's no way we could be separated. If Jo was forced to leave I'd have to leave too, and then my trial run at school reform would be declared a failure. I'd never get to make the changes I sought.

"Oh no! I won' tell anyone then. He's a lovely creature." He bent over to pet Jo's head and Jo let him.

"'Tween you an' me, I 'ave a few creatures I shouldn't."

I internally cheered. Then, a grey mastiff half the size of Jo peeked out from behind the man.

"And who's this fellow then?"

The man, Hadrian?, turned to look at the mastiff.

"Oh, tha's jus' Fang. He's a little shy."

I crouched to be closer to the mastiff and slowly held out my hand for him to sniff. Fang did, and then licked my hand, leaving a layer of slobber all over it.

"Hi Fang. What a sweet dog you are."

Fang let me pet him and inched a little closer so I could reach his back. Jo, jealous thing he was, shuffled closer to me. Fang whined and pulled away.

"Aw, it's okay. Don't worry, Jo won't hurt you. He just wants all my attention."

I pet Fang again, and put my other hand on Jo to appease him.

"Jimmy, would yeh like a spot o' tea while yer here?"

I stood and sent a silent scourgify to my hands. Hagrid! That was his name, I remember now!

"That would be great, thanks Hagrid."

He showed me into his hut and I sat on a low chair. It looked small from the outside, but we all fit inside Hagrid's home comfortably. Jo sat pressed as close to me as he could with the chair's arm in the way. Fang slunk over on the other side and let me stroke his back again, while Hagrid fixed the tea.

"So what creatures have you got here? Anything bigger than Jo?"

"Aye! I got a dog that'd make Jo look tiny!"

"Jo's huge! What dog is bigger than him?"

"A three-headed one. Fluffy's her name and she's as big as me house, but sweet as pie. Loves music!"

"Wow! Those are so rare! Where are you hiding her? I can't imagine she'd be allowed around the school."

"I didn' have to worry, Ol' Dumbledore wanted her here as a guard!"

"I'm sure Fluffy would make an excellent guard, but it's dangerous for her to be around untrained children. What if a student stumbles across her unawares?"

What the hell was the Headmaster thinking?

"Dumbledore warned everyone at the welcome feast. Oh no. I shouldn' have said this much. Yer not supposed to know."

"I'm a professor here. I think it's important to be aware of any dangers to the students. You didn't say anything wrong."

"It was supposed ter be a secret."

"Who else knows?"

"I can't say. I already said too much!"

Hagrid seemed like a good friend to have. He might not be able to keep secrets, so I'd refrain from confiding in him in future, but he could be a very useful source of information. Plus, he liked animals and had a passionate sort of respect for them that I related to. Jo didn't seem to have a problem with him either, and he was the ultimate judge of character. So I decided to let him off the hook for now.

"Okay. Would you like some blaeberries? I found some in the forest."

"Oh! Sure. Thanks."

I passed over my berry box, and ate a few off the top to show they were safe to eat in case he was concerned. We finished our tea without mentioning anymore rule-breaking or secrets. I think I won him over. He bid me goodbye with an invitation to visit again.

I returned to my chambers and lay down before I had to make my rounds in the castle.

The school was worse off than I thought. I thought that bullying and prejudice were the issues I should focus on, but now I knew there was at least one dangerous creature being kept here for some reason. Was Fluffy being kept in the castle? Wouldn't she need to stretch her legs? What was being kept in a school that needed such a guard dog? Couldn't whatever dangerous business that was going on be conducted away from the children we were tasked with protecting?

Hagrid had said Dumbledore warned everyone, but I think I'd have remembered that! The only thing he'd said was... Oh Merlin, the third floor corridor! Well, I knew where I'd be going on my rounds now.


	4. Scars and guards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy investigates the third floor corridor and discovers another thing to be concerned about in the great hall.

I met Fluffy. It was too easy really. As soon as my shift to patrol the castle started, I headed straight to the third floor. On one side of the corridor were several doors leading to storage rooms and unused classrooms, while the other boasted a single locked door.

It had been set up so no student should have a reason to be here. At least that amount of care had been taken. The door opened easily with an alohamora. It wasn't even warded! A first-year student could learn that spell, and the door wasn't marked with a "danger" sign, so all it would take was a confused kid and they could end up inside!

I remembered what Hagrid had said about Fluffy liking music, so I started singing before I opened the door in case I was right. The only song that came to mind was "Dona Nobis" since it only had 4 words to remember.

Once inside I faced a massive grey paw. Hagrid had not been exaggerating! Jo stiffened beside me and morphed back into his usual huge form which now seemed minuscule in comparison. Fluffy opened one of her eyes to look at us, but stayed lying down drowsily. I didn't dare stop singing as I looked around.

The room was small and empty aside from Fluffy. Whatever she was supposed to guard was not apparent. Then I noticed a glint of metal under one great paw. A handle! Attached to a hatch! Whatever or whomever she was guarding was probably below. I did not care to venture further, so I gestured for Jo to shrink back into a cat and left, locking the door behind me.

That room did not look big enough for a creature of Fluffy's size. I hoped they'd release her soon. I considered placing a ward over the door to prevent any too-curious students from wandering in, but didn't want to prevent whoever was tending to Fluffy (probably Hagrid) from doing their job.

I would have freed Fluffy entirely, but if she was seen it would cause a panic, and whatever she was guarding had to be important. I couldn't risk it.

Dumbledore must have sanctioned this, but why? Hagrid had said I wasn't supposed to know. Should I meet with the Headmaster and try to get some answers, or would this get Hagrid in trouble and make them suspicious of me? There had to be a good reason if Dumbledore was doing this. If I got involved I could be meddling in something more important than I knew. But, I couldn't just ignore a huge safety risk. I was here to try and make the school, and ultimately Wizarding society a better place. It would be hypocritical to turn a blind eye.

I caught a glimpse of movement around a corner, and hurried off to follow it. Had a student been trying to sneak by while I was lost in thought? I searched the hallway and the stairs, but didn't find anybody for the rest of my shift.

\--

At the next great hall meal I had to attend, I realized I was low on my pain potion. I'd woken up with a migraine and tried to ignore it, but it was one of those insidious ones that creeps up on you like a pepper you don't think is spicy until your tongue is on fire.

I sat down in a free seat, debating whether to take an analgesic in such a public place, and then my bad arm started throbbing again too, just as the new defense against the dark arts professor sat down beside me. I grabbed at my arm, hissing a little in surprise before I could put on a more neutral expression and down a potion as discretely as possible.

My migraines were variable and often weather-related, but my arm only throbbed when I was near dark magic (or hit it off something). I'd been left with a permanent scar down my elbow when I'd nearly dodged a curse many years ago. My elbow bones had been shattered and repaired, but a bit of the curse had been nasty enough to linger.

Lots of people made it twinge when they were nearby, but this twitchy professor that I think was named Squirrel must have had some serious dark magic going on. Was he cursed? Or maybe he had been practicing the dark arts for his classes. That made more sense, he was the DADA teacher after all. However, shouldn't he be teaching protections rather than the opposite? Maybe it would be worth mentioning. He could be in trouble and not realize it. Maybe he was even imperioed. That would explain why there seemed to be so much dark magic on him. Then, I couldn't mention it to him, or whoever might be controlling him could learn I'm onto them. I should tell the Headmaster. I wanted to talk to him about Fluffy anyway.

I tried to ask Dumbledore for a meeting, but he had disappeared as soon as the meal was through. When I finally found a spare moment again to see him, he was unreachable, with his office locked and no one to take an appointment. It seemed ridiculous to send a letter to someone I saw at almost every meal, but it seemed like that was my only option.

I penned off a polite inquiry, and goaded Jo into trying to transform into an owl. He got it after a few half-starts which left his cat form covered in piebald feathers. He tried it again from his natural dog form, but instead of an owl he became the biggest raven I'd ever seen. I rewarded him with many scraps of roast beef I'd gotten from Flipsy (who was definitely warming up to Jo now that she knew she wasn't on his menu), and he flew off with my letter to Dumbledore. Jo returned 15 minutes later, empty-clawed. Flipsy hung around long enough to carefully stroke his glossy blue-black feathers, and I gave him the rest of the beef.

So now we wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot picking up, and more character interactions to come. Who do you think was in the corridor after Jimmy?


	5. Teaching's a headache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy faces the results of her efforts with a first year class, with a migraine.

Dumbledore did not reply to my request for a meeting, but I was too busy to be concerned. I'd had no extra time to investigate Fluffy's presence in the school, but I had made time to at least drop off some treats every day for her. I think she's warming up to me. Singing seemed to put her to sleep, humming made her calm, and when I tested out silence she'd gone from lunging and snapping at me to just growling.

The nice thing about being around a bunch of kids is that they almost never made my arm twinge in pain. On the other hand, they made my headaches so much worse. 

I'd taken a few Wide-Eye potions in the same week in order to mark all the projects I'd foolishy assigned long before I'd realized how much work marking was. All my classes had been tasked with an independent research project to be completed on a muggle region/culture of their choosing, with details and thoroughness increasing by year level. I knew inadequate sleep was a migraine trigger, but I had to get these done so the students would have time to correct their mistakes before the holidays. 

So I downed my second to last pain potion and walked into my classroom wearing my sunglasses. Immediately, a ravenclaw student raised their hand.

"Yes?"

"What's on your face Professor? Can you see through those glasses?"

I should have expected this. Wizards didn't wear sunglasses. 

"These are called sunglasses. They're a muggle invention to darken light from reaching your eyes."

Another student piped up without raising a hand, "Why don't they just use a charm?"

"Because Muggles can't cast charms."

They're first years, but still, come on!

"Why're they called sunglasses?"

"They're glasses, so they're designed to help you see better, and the sun part is because muggles usually use them when they're out in the sun."

"You're inside though! Why are you wearing them? You're not a muggle either! Wait, are you?"

My first class I'd spent talking about respect and how people should treat others more equally. This was my reward. At least my students felt comfortable enough with me to ask inane questions. Maybe it was my age. I was the youngest professor here, and didn't exactly inspire awe. 

"I said Muggles usually wear them in the sun, not that that's their only use. How about everyone take 5 minutes and brainstorm other uses for sunglasses. Quietly."

I sat down heavily at my desk and closed my eyes, secure in the knowledge no one could tell through the dark lenses. 5 minutes passed quickly, so I let them have another 5 before standing up again.

"Okay, raise your hand if you have a possible use for sunglasses."

A good amount of hands flew up. I pointed at the front row, deciding to go in order from front to back.

"Reducing light that isn't from the sun!"

The most obvious answer, that everyone should have got. I charmed a piece of chalk to record the answers on the board.

"Yes. Next?"

"To hide your expression?" A slytherin girl said uncertainly.

"Great. Next?"

"To protect your eyes from stuff hitting them."

"Indeed. Next?"

"To make a spectacle?"

I laughed out loud. 

"10 points to ravenclaw for that awful pun."

After everyone who wanted to share had shared, which was pretty repetitive, I'd ended up with three columns on the board.

"Alright class, write these down, there will be a quiz. There are three main reasons for muggle sunglasses: protection from light and debris, hiding your face as a disguise or to be unreadable, and as a fashion statement."

That had taken up way more class time than expected. I'd had a lesson plan, but most days it seemed I got distracted and just started answering questions. I made a note for this class to add sunglasses to their upcoming quiz. Quizzes, I'd decided, were preferable to essays as I only had to make an answer key and the students could grade each other.

I'd left the class to study or do homework, when the ravenclaw that made me laugh approached.

"Do you have another pair of sunglasses I could borrow?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I do."

"Well may I borrow them?"

"Close. Has anyone ever told you how to ask for something politely?"

Someone in the back scoffed. I stood and addressed the class.

"Hey. Okay, new lesson: basic manners. There are two words that are vital for everyone to remember if they want to not piss people off."

Several students gasped. Whoops. I rubbed at my head. Only a few more minutes and I could take a pain potion in peace. Wait, I only had one left! Ugh, I had to save it for when I was brewing more or I wouldn't be able to do it.

"Sorry class, forget I said that last bit. Anyway, Muggles say there is one magic word for dealing with people. Anyone know what it is?"

One student's hand flew up.

"Yes?"

"The magic word is please!"

"Yes, thank you. That's the other word: thank you. You can make any request more polite by saying please or may I please, and if someone acquiesces you say thanks."

The girl I think scoffed earlier muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "I already know this."

"Enough people don't seem to know this that it's pertinent, and I think you could use a review of manners anyway."

A few students giggled. Luckily, time ran out and I could dismiss everyone. I headed straight to the hospital wing, to see if Madame Pomfrey had anything to tide me over. I tried to brew my own pain potions since I got migraines so frequently and I didn't want anyone to know how often I took them. If Pomfrey knew how often I medicated, she'd probably cut me off. It hadn't been so bad before I started teaching, but now I was under so much pressure (figuratively and atmospherically). It's not like I had a substitute. I had to attend every class. 

The hospital wing was thankfully empty when I arrived. I didn't want anyone knowing I was here if possible, and it was nice to know there weren't any recently injured kids suffering nearby. Pomfrey gave me a much milder potion than I normally brewed for myself, but it would have to do. I barely escaped her fussing before my next class started.


	6. Notions of potions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy meets Snape and brews her potion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited. Conversations yay! I just keep writing this. I have more ideas to continue. Kudos and comments are cherished!

At the end of the day, as had become my routine, I got some meat from Flipsy and headed towards Fluffy. Jo sat on one of my shoulders in raven form, as he seemed to prefer it to cat form now that being a terrifying bird was an option. I wasn't about to complain however, as he'd gifted me with some gorgeous new quills rather than clouds of shed fur like this.

Unfortunately, I had the awful feeling that someone was following me. There were no resounding footsteps, whoever it was was careful, but my arm gave a mild twinge. I'd felt the air shift enough times to know I was being watched most times I came here, but as I'd never caught an actual glimpse of a cloak again, I'd let it go. Not tonight though.

My arm gave another light twinge, and I turned to look at the seemingly empty hallway. Either my stalker was covered in dark magic and standing far away, or had a little curse or something and was standing closer. My head was killing me, but I had started a routine with Fluffy and wasn't about to stand her up now. Was it a student? Most students wouldn't know concealment spells, and wouldn't be cursed. A teacher guarding the hallway? I hoped so, that would mean the school was less irresponsible than I'd thought. The air shifted again. 

Oh for the love of- "Who's there?"

No one answered. I pretended to give up and turned towards the door before whipping back and casting revelio. 

The head of Slytherin appeared, dressed all in black as was his custom. He was one of the Professors I hadn't met before, and from what I'd heard of him was dreadfully grateful he hadn't been teaching when I'd attended Hogwarts. Was his name Snake? Better not call him by name, if I'm wrong (and let's face it, I probably am) he didn't look like the sort that would take it well.

"Why are you following me?" I asked, exasperated.

"What are you doing nightly in the third floor corridor?" He countered in a venomous baritone masked with indifference. It's too late to pretend not to care though, after he'd taken the time to conceal his spying so thoroughly.

"Do you know what's in that room?" I'd tell him what I was doing, but didn't want to get Hagrid in trouble.

"Do you?" He drawled.

"Oh, come off it! You must've seen me going in there. Of course I know! But do you know? Because it's supposed to be secret and it's not mine to tell."

"I am aware of what is in that room." 

"Good. Are the other professors aware too? Was I the only one left out?" I rubbed my aching forehead.

"Not all of them. You would do well not to mention this to anyone else. Now, what are you doing here?"

I sighed and held up the bag of meat.

"I came to give Fluffy her treat. She's locked up in that small room, so the least I can do is bring her something nice."

He stared right into my eyes unnervingly. Then he pinched his nose and shook his head. 

"You're such a Hufflepuff," he muttered.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

I walked over to the door humming, gave Fluffy the meat, and returned only to see him still standing there.

"Are you here to guard the door? 'Cause I cast a charm to alert me if someone opens it."

He eyed me curiously.

"Hey, since you're the potions professor could I borrow your classroom to brew something? It would make up for watching me."

"I have nothing to apologize for. It is my duty to protect the school from suspicious activity," he sneered.

"It's your night off. We're on the same patrol shift. I'm glad someone else is keeping an eye on this corridor though, I've been trying to get a meeting with the Headmaster to discuss it."

Boy was I glad I'd never ran into this professor before. I wonder if he was cursed or something to be so dour. He had dark magic around him, but nothing as strong as that Professor Squirrel. Now he, I couldn't even stand to sit beside for the pain. It's not that dark magic was even evil, but it was hard not to be wary of something that always caused me pain.

"The Headmaster has issues of more import than the concerns of a lowly professor," he snapped out bitterly.

Hmmm, there was a story there, but I had issues of more import too.

"Okay. So I have a potion to brew, can I use your classroom?"

"What must you make that you couldn't get elsewhere?"

I really didn't want to admit my weakness to this man, but he obviously was suspicious and wouldn't accept no answer.

"It's a fairly simple creation, nothing bad!"

"Very well."

He swept away, plain black robes billowing. I followed. Trying to keep pace was difficult, and I downed my last pain potion before I'd reached the end of the stairs. Each step down was like a coconut falling on my head.

He showed me into the potions room and I went to the closest table. I pulled out my shrunken copper cauldron from one pocket, and all the ingredients I needed from another, and lay them out on the table before unshrinking them.

Jo, displeased with all the jostling flew off my shoulder and sat on the edge of the table, far from my supplies. I weaved a shield charm around him in case he got too close to the cauldron. I looked up to see the potions professor still standing there, watching.

"Why do you have that giant bird?" He asked when I looked over.

"He's my owl."

"That's very clearly a raven. I thought you had a Mastery in Magical Creatures."

I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. 

"I meant he delivers my mail. Are you planning to watch me the whole time? I'm not a student you need to supervise."

"As you are in my classroom and are not a Potions Master you may as well be a student."

"I've done this a lot. Just because I don't have an official degree in something doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

"That remains to be seen."

I sighed and continued on. Wait, wasn't this the professor that embarrassed his students? Snape was his name! 

I poured a bottle of chlorophyll into the cauldron and set it to boil while I got out a mortar and pestle. Then I pulled out some dried poppy pods, and carefully tapped all the poppy seeds into the mortar. I crushed them thoroughly and added them to the cauldron whole once it was boiling. Grass-smelling steam poured out of the shiny pot. All the while, the potions professor seemed intent on burning holes in my head with his eyes alone.

"Have you ever heard of social facilitation theory?" I asked.

"No," _Snape_ admitted after a lengthy pause.

"It says that having an audience will effect people's performances. Whatever the most likely outcome of an activity given one's skill level becomes enhanced when people watch. So, if someone is well-practised and usually does well at something, they will do better with an audience. If someone is inexperienced at something, they are more likely to mess up when someone's watching."

I chopped up or crushed my remaining ingredients, until the potion turned a duller sage green and I shifted the pot away from the fire to reduce the heat.

"What is the relevance of this?" He inquired.

I added in a small knob of crushed ginger, and stirred it with an incantation until it turned orange. Then I dumped in three chopped leaves from St. John's Wort and stirred with a wiggentree stick.

"I'm experienced. Your students are not. It's something to consider when teaching."

I let it simmer until it turned green once again, then added one sprig of lavender. Once it smelled herbal and calming, I extinguished the fire and strained the potion into a jug which I then divided evenly into many vials.

I looked up from my task and noticed he was much closer now. He inspected my leftover ingredients with a sweeping glance. 

"A pain potion," he announced.

Of course, I should have expected he'd figure it out.

"You're correct. Nothing sinister."

"I've never seen this one before."

"It's my own creation."

"Would you publish it?"

Publishing a potion with no intention of pursuing a potions mastery would raise the question of why I'd invented it. While migraines were nothing to be ashamed of, I didn't want people to find out how often I took my medication. My enemies could use it to undercut my credibility.

"Perhaps." I held out one vial to him. "Thanks for letting me use this space. The fumes make it unwise to make in a bedroom." In early stages I'd passed out when I'd taken a deep breath of the steam before.

He took the vial and I happened to see his eyes widen slightly before his neutral expression slid back into place.

"Goodnight Perdu."

"Goodnight Snape."

He all but kicked me out of the classroom after I'd packed up my things, and Jo flew out beside me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so many ideas about potions, so I tried to add ingredients that sort of made sense for a pain potion for migraines specifically. The chlorophyll is because it's high in magnesium and that can help with muscle tension. Hopefully Snape and Jimmy can become good enough friends or respected colleagues to go into some potions theory ideas I have.


	7. Oh Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy discusses gender and karmic philosophy.

The next time a student knocked on my door I was in the middle of marking, as I had been for the past few days. I answered the door happily and beckoned an older slytherin student inside. Jo squawked, in raven form since he'd heard the knock, now used to sudden transformations without me having to tell him.

"Is this a good time, Professor?"

"It's an excellent time! Thanks for visiting, you're saving me from a neverending mountain of marking."

"Oh."

I gestured at the many dark purple armchairs mashed into my living room/office. The student sat in the one closest to my desk. I sat back at my desk, twisting in my rolly-chair. That was another thing wizards didn't have! They were missing out. Magic is nice and all, but chairs that spin were the best. I quickly scribbled a note to order some for the other professors for Yule. I would gladly pay to see McGonagall roll down a hallway in an office chair. I set aside my papers and turned my full attention to the student.

"Did you have a question about the last lesson?"

"No... I wanted to talk about something that's not exactly relevant to class."

"Even better."

"I was wondering how you knew you were nonbinary."

I had flashbacks to my first classes where I wrote she/they as my pronouns on the board and instructed everyone to refer to me as Professor or Sir. I'd been expecting more questions than I'd received. Everyone had accepted my instructions on respect fairly easily. While they could be little shits, in many ways kids are better than adults. 

"Well, I always felt a little different most people. I don't believe in a strict divide of genders, and as a kid I was constantly doing things that were astereotypical for my assigned gender. Of course, clothes and activities don't make you a certain gender. Men can like anything and woman can like anything."

"But if anyone can do anything regardless of gender, how does anyone know what gender they are?"

"I think the concept of gender is nebulous. It's just one facet of identity, so everyone will have a different interpretation. You just feel it."

"But... how did you feel it?"

"All in all, I just realized I felt more comfortable being referred to as a person rather than a woman or man. Being called a girl felt like wearing a pair of too tight shoes. They might've looked nice on someone else, but they weren't for me. And pronouns are a whole other thing."

"I think..." the slytherin trailed off.

I leaned closer and smiled in what I hoped was an encouraging way.

The student continued, "I feel different too, but in a different way. I feel pretty strongly that I'm a certain gender."

"Cool. Just 'cause I don't believe in a binary gender system doesn't mean gender doesn't exist. Is there anything that would make you feel more comfortable with your identity?"

The student nodded immediately. "I'd like if people used he/him pronouns for me. And I want to wear trousers for my uniform. I know men can wear skirts, but it's something that would help me feel more confident."

"Okay. I can do that. Would you like me to teach you how to transfigure a skirt to slacks?" 

"You can do that?"

"Of course. I figured it out when I was a student. Want to try?"

"Yes please."

"The incantation is mutare ad braccas. Sweep your wand down twice, like an upside down V."

The slytherin tried it and his skirt lengthened until it hit the floor, but did not change into legs. I corrected his grip and aim. He tried again a few times with varying results until he was suddenly wearing a nice albeit slightly too big pair of slacks. His smile at succeeding with my spell was the brightest thing in my chambers. 

"Go practice on the rest of your uniforms. I'm here if you need any more help or want to talk again."

"Thanks Professor!"

"After that conversation, you can call me Jimmy."

The student left with a new spring in his step, and I realized I didn't even know his name. I did roll call every class, you'd think more of them would stick. Perhaps it was for the best, maybe he didn't like his name anyway. I certainly disliked being called anything but Jimmy.

My next class had a student I definitely knew the name of. Though I'd been busy (when wasn't I anymore?) I'd remembered to check out the library for restricted alchemy books, and had the best resources on Nicholas Flamel sitting on my desk helping nobody for a few days. 

I asked Harry Potter to stay behind after class to give him the books, and was met with minimal fuss. This first year class was Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs combined; a truly fantastic combination for cooperation. A few students oohed, but no one jeered or insulted him. The bar was low.

I threw out my lesson plan for the rest of the day. I was here to try and expand young minds and hopefully make a nicer generation of Hogwarts graduates, so I was going to talk about moral philosophy! Technically this fell under muggle studies, since it was a subject muggles studied at university. Personally I thought these sorts of topics should be covered much earlier, which is why I was introducing it now. The magical world lacked a lot of common sense, making the necessity of teaching critical thinking even more vital than usual. While mastering one's magic is important to prevent dangerous outbursts, logic and emotional health should be equally emphasized for successful future adults.

I started my next classes with the question: Why bother being nice? Many students had some interesting arguments, and a few even argued against it. I made a note to keep an eye on the latter. Then, someone mentioned the idea of retribution or luck and I started talking about karma. 

"Many Eastern religions especially Hinduism and Buddhism mention karma as a sort of spiritual tally of your deeds. Generally, if you intend to do good, and you succeed, this is good karma, and vice versa. Supposedly, your karma dictates your future situations, either in this life or when you're reincarnated. Western society generalized this as 'what goes around comes around.' Many muggles interpret this as if someone's mean to them, something bad will happen to the bully near immediately. And if someone does only nice things then only good things will happen to them. It doesn't work like that, but that doesn't mean the concept of karma doesn't exist."

A student raised their hand. I nodded at them to speak.

"If good karma doesn't mean good things will happen, how can it even mean anything in life? Aside from possible reincarnation I mean."

Through no fault of their own, young people tend be pretty self-centered. It's the developmental stage they're at. People need to go through certain stages to become better. So I tried to tailor my answer to appeal to the students' selfish natures.

"I find it most useful to think of karma as spreading positivity or negativity around. If you're nice and helpful that increases the chances that you'll make others happy, and thus increases the chances of others being nice and helpful. If you and others do this often enough, you increase the odds of getting helped yourself."

"How would that even work?" A student wondered without raising a hand.

I sighed. Maybe this was a topic better suited to mature students. But mature students are exactly the kind of people that don't need this lesson! Maybe a real life example would get through to them.

"Okay... how many of you have been to a drive thru?"

One hand raised hesitantly. What a bunch of posh bastards.

"Alright; tangent time! A drive-thru is a place where muggles line up to get food and drinks, without going into a store. You remember cars right?"

A few people groaned and others grumbled loudly, "We know what cars are!"

"Okay, okay. So, people drive their cars around a restaurant on these drive-thru paths and shout what they want at employees in a first window or a speaker box, and then they pay at a second one. Don't ask why there's 2 windows, I don't know why they aren't combined either."

The students nodded along.

"So this one time, I was at a busy drive-thru in Canada, I ordered, and when I pulled up to pay I was told the person in front of me had paid for my order. I'd never met them, and apparently this had been going on for a while. So, I paid for the person behind me. There was this chain of people doing nice things for each other all because one person decided to be kind."

I pointed at a ravenclaw with her hand up. 

"But if everyone was paying for everyone else's order, no one actually got free food. What was the point?"

She had a point. "These were all people expecting to pay for their own order, so it wasn't about whether they got something free or not. It was a pleasant surprise, that left people feeling more generous."

I pointed at another student with a raised hand.

"What about the first person though? They paid for their own order and someone elses for nothing in return."

"Well, we don't know what happened to that person. They might've won some money beforehand that inspired their generosity, or they might've simply gotten satisfaction from doing something nice. It can be a powerful feeling to be able to do good."

Time ran out, and I decided to try and have more class debates in future. It was excellent that the students were questioning what they were told (though it made it tricky to remain in control of the class). I hoped they would do continue to do this in more important situations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture McGonagall racing down a castle hallway in a noisy office chair. Her robes whipping behind her, and whisps of hair escaping her bun. Her face stern as ever if anyone saw her. Inside she'd be laughing her ass off. C'mon, she's a Gryffindor, she'd love it!


	8. Everyone's a critic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy waxes philosophic on society and meets a wild Snape in the woods.

The wizarding world was so fragile. Maybe the death eaters had a point. Muggleborns held so much more power than they thought, and thanks to wizarding institutions like Hogwarts that shaped and shamed students into abiding by traditions, it was likely to stay that way. Magic may be miraculous, but muggle weapons or even physical means like martial arts could defeat a surprised wizard. Not to mention the fact that everyone was trained extensively with a wand, but not what to do if disarmed.  
The society as a whole relied on keeping all these extremely powerful individuals from realizing how powerful they really were, distracting them with mostly parlour tricks. No wonder many purebloods wanted to keep muggles out. If there was a free flow of information, it could shift the balance of power. There would be so many muggle-magic inventions the government wouldn't stand a chance at keeping traditions alive or even keeping its citizens safe. There could be violent uprisings at worst, and the erosion of an old culture at best. 

Of course, I was all for change anyway. I was just trying to change society in subtler and hopefully stabler way than a full-on revolution. Empires toppled, but ideas could live on. For all that most prominent wizarding politicians had claimed to disavow Voldemort, the world still ran on his prejudice. The current state of affairs wasn't even Voldemort's fault really, he hadn't helped certainly, but he'd taken advantage of prejudices that already existed. The facts were, purebloods raised in the magical world had an advantage here. They were privileged, and as many privileged people come to believe, they thought this was right and appropriate. It's advantageous for the privileged to seek to keep their privilege, just as it is advantageous for the underprivileged to seek better circumstances.

Being stuck in a busy job made it harder to see the bigger picture and how to achieve my far-off goals. But it was becoming clear that changing Hogwarts wasn't enough. I faced gaggles of students every day, and while I could try and make a difference for the few that sought me out for help, this was not the groundbreaking progress I'd hoped. 

Hogwarts was a mini immature version of wizarding Britain with the students coming from all types of families. If I could change the culture of this school, I could change others. With each faction it would become easier to convince others (the convinced working to convince others for me) until a majority of people could see that society could do better. 

Horrified, I noticed a few similarities between my tactics and the Dark Lord's. Minus the violence. But, tactics left unused were simply enemy advantages.

A sudden wetness on my hand brought me back to the present. I looked down at Jo who looked up at me with his tongue still out. If he was a human I'd be sure he was sticking his tongue out at me.

We'd been wandering around the forest for an undetermined amount of time. It was my new favorite place. Forests had always smelled like home. Especially when they were dark and damp like this. You could smell the sweetness of decaying plants along with the citrusy needles of healthy evergreens. All of the lifecycle could be witnessed in a forest. All the living things here were nourished by the death of the things that had come before, and soon the current living things would fuel the next generation and so on. Life and death existed outside of morality or ethics, they simply were. It was beautiful and humbling. No matter what you did you were just a blip in the world's timeline, yet you were important to all these living things around you if only for the fact that you existed.

A sharp jab to my thigh had me yelping.  
Jo impatiently nudged me again with his nose.

"Ow! Why is your nose so pointy? And more importantly why did you poke me with it?"

Jo looked at me in as exasperated a fashion as a dog could manage, showing off the whites of his eyes like an impertinent teenager scoffing at an uncool parent.

Okay, maybe I'd taken too much pain potion lately. I could have been staring off in space for an hour and have no idea, but that was my right! I rubbed at my leg and glared at Jo.

A lovely deep voice that I did not want to hear right now drawled out from somewhere a little ways away. "Talking to dogs now? Once again I wonder how you got your mastery. As far as I know dogs don't speak English."

So Jo was trying to warn me about Snake.

"Well I think I'd know better than you, in this instance."

He stepped out of the shadows a few meters away (and how did he do that? The whole forest was shadows, yet somehow he managed to find a shadowier shadow to appear out of).

He smirked. "But, what was it, 'just because I don't have a degree in something doesn't mean I don't know something.'"

"I'm honored my words left such an impact."

"What are you doing out here in the Forbidden Forest?"

"I'm often here. It's my favourite place to walk, and as a Professor it's not Forbidden. What are you doing here?"

"None of your business. As you put it, I'm a Professor so it's not forbidden."

I quipped, "Careful there. Keep quoting me and I'll think you respect me. Now c'mon, tell me why you're here. I showed you mine, now you show me yours, that's how it goes."

His dour face bloomed enough colour to look alive. Whether from embarrassment or anger I didn't know (but I hoped it wasn't anger). He looked away and his eyes caught on Jo. Then his face smoothed out, and the colour faded from his cheeks.

"Do you intend to make Hogwarts into your own personal zoo?"

"What?" I stared at him confused.

"First your cat, then that giant raven, and now it appears you've found a giant dog to round out your menagerie."

"Oh no, this's just Jo...el." Oh shit. This probably looks suspicious. I was so comfortable in the forest, I'd forgotten Jo was supposed to be a secret.

"Your cat is Jo, and your dog is Joel? Dare I ask the name of that raven?"

"I was just calling him Raven."

"And yet I'm surprised," he said dryly.

I needed an excuse fast, so Snake wouldn't go around rightly thinking I was keeping this terrifying looking dog in the castle with me. Yet, maybe he wouldn't do anything, as he knew about Fluffy and hadn't removed her, but I couldn't risk it.

"I don't have a menagerie. It's Jo and the raven, Joel stays here. I found him in the forest." Not a complete lie, so that should sound truthful enough.

"You found a Grimm in the forest and named him Joel?"

"Yeah."

He looked at me with dark eyes that seemed to be trying to convey exactly how stupid that sounded even considering he was surrounded by incompetent students day in and day out.

"So, are you gonna tell me what you're doing here? I might be able to help. Jo...el knows the forest really well."

He paused, and I wasn't sure if he would reply, but then he admitted, "I am looking for potions ingredients. One never knows what they'll find in this forest."

"Anything in particular?"

"My latest class managed to tear through my stores of aconite."

Snake seemed like a useful friend to have, so I decided to be as helpful as possible. Besides, if I could get him to maybe not dislike me so much, perhaps I could persuade him to be less of a dick. Although I wasn't sure if he did dislike me. He seemed the sort to be sarcastic and annoyed with everyone, not me in particular.

"Oh! Those pretty purple flowers, I saw some over that way."

I pointed behind me, and set off to where I'd seen them last. Jo followed faithfully at my side, and I gained yet another shadow as Snake took up the rear. 

We came upon a meadow interspersed with many rocks, and spotted the dark bluish purple flowers immediately. I pulled some protective gloves from one of my space defying pockets and tossed them over to him. He caught them reflexively and raised an eyebrow at me. 

"As you probably know, skin contact with wolfsbane root isn't lethal, but it's still unpleasant."

"I am aware. Unlike some people I come prepared," he drawled while pulling his own pair of gloves from his robes, "but... thank you."

I knelt beside him and snatched my gloves back. "This'll go faster with both of us. How many do you need?"

He eyed me shiftily but simply answered, "15."

I pulled the gloves on and set to work loosening the soil around the base of the flowers so I could pull out most of the root intact. Soon there was a pile of harvested plants beside me. We worked in silence, Jo looming a few meters away, until he spoke again while packing the plants into a container.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Hufflepuffs and Slytherins aren't really that different you know. Our reputations are misleading. Well, most reputations are really. You can only know for sure what you've witnessed, and even then memories can be faulty or tampered with."

"That didn't answer my question."

I shrugged. "Hey, would you have any use for unicorn hair?"

"Of course. Unicorn hair is a sought after ingredient."

"I found some on some bushes earlier, but I have no use for it. If you need more I could track them down, they'd probably gift me some if I ask nicely."

"If you are like this in classes I feel for your students."

"Well, _lucky_ for all of us, muggle studies has no standardized curriculum so there's no N.E.W.T.S or O.W.L.S to worry about."__

_ __ _

"Then what is the point of all this?"

"To expand young minds. Now, do you want my continued help or not? I'm a good friend to have."

"Friend?"

"Ally then."

"What do you want in return?"

Hmmm. I can't say directly I want to know what's up with the Fluffy guarding something in the castle, or what the hell Dumbledore's thinking, or for Professor Snake here to be less of a dick to students. But I might be able to glean some of this info if we met regularly. Like if I keep brewing my pain potion in his classroom! I was planning to set up my cauldron out here in the forest next, but it's really better in a controlled environment.

"Free use of the potions lab for brewing my painkiller. I bring my own supplies, but can use the storeroom if I run out of something."

"Though you didn't blow up anything last time, I will not let my lab be ransacked by an amateur without supervision."

"You can watch, I don't mind." I held in a laugh at my phrasing. Don't wink, don't wink...

"I don't have time to supervise an adult brewing in my off-hours. Unless you were to take over my detentions."

No! I do not want to give detentions! The kids barely respect my authority, and I want them to like and trust me!  
"Only the detentions on days when I brew."

"No, that will leave you without time on that day. You will supervise the detentions a day in advance."

Ugh. "Deal. I bet shopkeepers just _love_ you."

He smirked. Then he gathered his aconite and paused, looking at me expectantly. I pulled the fine shimmering strands of unicorn hair from a clear pouch in my pocket and held them out. He admired them briefly before pocketing them and turning away in a move that made his cloak billow dramatically behind him.

Jo ran out of sight and returned soaring back in raven form. I thought perhaps Jo'd meet me back in the castle, but he deemed such a trip beneath him and instead landed heavily on my shoulder. I stroked his feathers absently so he'd stop pulling at me hair with his beak.

I caught up to Snake close to the castle. There was no wind right now, but his cloak was still swirling majestically from his ankles. Was it just his determined gait, or some sort of charm? Next time I went out I would wear _my_ most dramatic cloak! Now to look up mild clothing charms before finishing marking... 


	9. Flights of Fancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Added the rest of the chapter Sept 2. 
> 
> Jimmy being a disaster, yet still more responsible than many characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not finished yet. But, I had a fun idea that I wanted to share since it's been a while! I have lots of plot ideas for this story, but I haven't gotten around to writing them coherently yet. Don't give up if you like this story! I'm still working on it!
> 
> Of course, unedited. If you have any comments or suggestions please share, I'm friendly!

I limped into the hospital wing victorious. My leopard print robes billowed out behind me, and a few students turned to look in awe. I felt like a noble warrior returning from a quest. However, this bubble of pride popped when I had to ask Poppy to heal my ass. I had been experimenting with the ventus charm when I couldn't find a suitable cloak-swirling spell, and had blasted myself into a wall, ass first. Instead of going for help immediately as I should have done, I kept working until I'd created the perfect charm for my clothes. Then, my pain potion wore off.

Poppy confirmed that I'd dislocated a hip and fractured my coccyx. I managed a silencio on myself just in time before she popped my leg back into position. I screamed soundlessly, then collapsed face down on a cot. I woke up later, embarrassed and relieved to have passed out. Jo, in raven form, watched me from his perch on the back of a chair.

With everything as healed as it was gonna get, I shuffled out to my rooms. Thankfully, I only had one floor to go down, but as soon as I reached the stairs I knew I was in for a problem. I asked Jo if he could fly my down, but holding onto Jo's feet while he tried to fly just held him in place. He was no phoenix.

Still in an experimental mood, I resorted to levitating myself. The main drawback to wingardium leviosa is that it doesn't work on people, only objects and small enough creatures. The body moving spell on the other hand, immobilises the target, usually for medical transport, and thus cannot be used on oneself. So I did what any thinking witchard would do. A sticking charm kept my clothes in place, and then I floated my clothes and thus myself carefully down the stairs. I passed a few students on the way, giving them a cheery wave as I floated with my majestic robes fluttering behind me.

When I'd reached my dungeon rooms I realized I could have just flown down in my animagus form and felt rather dumb. I chocked it up to not thinking straight from the pain, exhaustion, and whatever combination of potions and spells Poppy must have used. Until I remembered such full-body transfigurations were not advisable when one was healing from internal injuries. Then I was rather too smug for not hurting myself with an inadvisable bit of magic again. I was even more glad I'd kept my animagus form a secret when I overheard some students the next day.

When I wasn't in leopard print, I generally wore black and went unnoticed in the school. I could blend right in with the students, and just like when I was a student, people around me talked freely. I had an honest face, and a quiet gait, and could be very unremarkable when I wasn't drawing attention to myself. This, and an affinity for creatures, were the secrets to my sort-of success. While I had bribed a few people with my access to illegal creatures (for my gold couldn't match the likes of the other bribers), most of my version of politicking came from knowing gossip that my former classmates and teachers had said right in front of me, uncaring or unnoticing of my presence. 

So this was how I heard some students speculating on the possibility of Professor Snape being a vampire, and calling him a bat. I cackled internally. This was an opportunity. I was too focused on being good and unnoticed when I was a student to have much fun, but as an adult now I had the stones to try something. 

I ended up hanging around the dungeons more often as it took a while for the right situation to arise, but when it did I wasted no time. After being in the school for a while, I could identify the presence of certain people by the feel of my cursed arm. When I felt Snape around the corner of a hallway walking away from a group of oblivious students, I passed by them then hid in one of the many shadowy alcoves the dungeon boasted. I transformed, and flew like mad over their heads, shrieking to get their attention.

"Cor! How'd a bat get in here?" One of them exclaimed.

I shrieked in reply, swerved around the hall corner and latched onto the ceiling which was recessed in deep shadow. Footsteps echoed in the narrow passage as the students hurried to follow. When they couldn't find me, and saw Snape at the far end of the hall, they stopped and blanched. Snape turned to glare at them before sweeping into a storeroom.

The students began whispering to each other and scrambled away. By dinnertime, rumours of Snape the Vampire were all over every House. Trying not to look suspicious was suspicious of itself, so I had chosen the disguise of being highly visible. It was advantageous to become easily recognizable by changeable features, so I had brightened the red in my hair a little, donned my charmed leopard robes, and popped on purple sunglasses. Jo clutched the back of my chair with his talons. We watched the chatter from my seat at the head table, and I acted as bewildered as the other professors while internally laughing maniacally. I could see why people had fun now. It was... fun.

What was not fun, was when I felt Squirrel rapidly approach. I winced as he flung himself into the Great Hall, and yelled about a Troll in the dungeons. Some DADA professor he was, fainting instead of helping. Maybe it was true what was said, that those who can't do, teach. Everyone screaming gave me a roaring headache, so I stayed seated while others hopped to their feet, and downed a pain potion from one of my expandable pockets. Everyone had started moving, and Dumbledore seemed to be directing them, but I was just sat there trying to get a handle on the onslaught of sensations to my head and arm. Then, a ping in my mind alerted me to someone crossing the ward I'd put up around Fluffy.

Without thinking much, I launched myself over the table, and when I reached the stairs quickly cast a rocket charm on my shoes. This sent me careening up the space between the staircases, passing many students thundering up to their common rooms. I did not shriek. It was more of a yell of exultation for moving so fast, than a scream of fear. Seriously!

I landed heavily, but luckily my potion had kicked in, so I didn't collapse from the jolt. I sprinted to the door to rescue what was surely a hapless student that had tried to hide there by mistake, but there was no student.

Instead, there was Squirrel, remarkably recovered from his fainting spell and somehow up here instead of in the dungeons helping to defeat the troll. He had no reason to be up here now, and was arguing about "protections" and "checking safety measures" to a very unamused Snape. I swayed in place, a little woozy from all the adrenalin fighting my potion, and tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Then, a scream sounded from below.

The two professors turned to look instead at me, as I became noticeable with my flurry of motion. Perhaps they hadn't heard the scream as clearly as I did, but I wasn't going to waste time when someone was clearly in distress elsewhere. I jumped over the balcony that connected this hallway to the stairs and free-fell through the channel of space between the staircases in a reverse of my earlier flight. I transformed midway, and flapped my tiny wings frantically toward the echoing bangs and crashes somewhere on the first floor. Where were the other professors that had mobilised? 

I stopped and dropped back to human in front of a bathroom. Wand out, I dashed in to see the Troll starting to fall over from a club to the head, with a little student riding its shoulders. Jo was in his dog form, latched onto one of the Troll's arms with his teeth. I hadn't realized he didn't follow me upstairs. 

I glanced down and saw the Troll was about to crash into another student, so I levitated it to slow its descent. The students backed away from the Troll, shivering and wet from the fountain of water spurting from a broken sink. I shot a stunner and the incarcerous curse at the Troll to make sure it stayed down. Concussions don't keep people unconscious nearly as long as most think, and a Troll is resilient. Jo let go, licking green blood from his snout.

"Is anyone injured?" I asked the tiny students.

They looked down at themselves with wide eyes and shook their heads.

"Good. Calming draughts anyone?" I held out some vials I pulled from my pockets. 

A student with a mane of wild curls and redhead took one of my vials but the other one who I now recognized as Harry, refused. 

"So, who levitated the club to knock it out?"

They glanced what passed for sneaky in an eleven year old at the the red haired one and he offered, "I did."

"Good job. Their hides are very magic resistant, so blunt force is usually the way to go. 5 points to Gryffindor."

The redhead grinned. I smiled back. I could hear untimely footsteps in the hall, so I pointed at Jo and quickly asked, "Don't tell anyone you saw a dog, alright?"

Jo shuddered and shrank into a raven. The kids all looked at him with wide eyes again. I felt the approach of Snape and heard more footsteps coalescing. I winked at the students, put a finger to my lips in a quieting gesture, and turned with a now solemn expression.

"Troll's down! I don't know how it got past everyone, but if someone can remove it now that'd be great. I got to get these students to their common room, thankfully there's no injuries."


	10. Emergency spells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perdu tries to teach the trio some emergency spells and prevent the students from collapsing into anarchy.
> 
> I realized I got the timeline mixed up, so Hogwarts Halloween is more of a flashback. Later, Perdu gives alchemy books to Harry after winning the trio's trust here. The conversation about Flamel happens in November. This chapter is October 31. I'll have to rewrite this eventually, to be clearer.

The other professors tried to stop me with many overlapping protests, but as none resorted to magic, I brushed past them and hurried the Gryffindor trio away towards their tower. I never liked how other teachers had handled student incidences in the past, so I was hoping to take care of it myself before an authority figure lost all their trust. Someone must have let in the troll, as there were wards and walls to repel them, so the trust around here was already tenuous.

"So! Mind telling me why you were all in the girl's bathroom?"

The students paused, obviously considering a lie, so I prodded Jo to squawk and remind them that they already knew one of my secrets so why not tell me theirs?

Harry, who was usually pretty quiet spoke up, "Hermione didn't show up to the feast and didn't know about the troll so we went to find her."

Hermione looked at Harry with liquidy eyes that then firmed up. "Don't punish them Professor, it was only my fault they went out. If I was were I was supposed to be, they wouldn't have ventured into danger."

I sighed. "I'm not punishing you. You've been through a traumatic experience, that's punishment enough. Your compassion for each other is admirable. However, Hermione, it's never your fault what other people choose without your input. You two," I turned to the boys, "did you try and tell a prefect or teacher?"

The redhead spoke up, "It was too crowded! We couldn't reach Percy, and the professors were gone!"

"Alright. The appropriate action would be to alert someone older and more qualified to the danger, but I can see why you couldn't. It was a time-sensitive issue. You probably saved her by showing up when you did. I have three spells to teach you in case something like this happens again."

I led them into one of the many empty classrooms. 

"First, the red sparks charm, to gain attention. Stick your wand straight up, and say vermillious."

They all got it on their first try. It was an easy spell. Then, I put up a silencing bubble around the room.

"Great! Now the amplifying spell: sonorous. Point your wand at what you want to get louder, whether it's your throat or an object. If you need to contact a Prefect or Professor over the din of a crowd, use this. It's not discrete, so don't put much power into it. You could reach the whole school with a powerful cast."

I felt a bit deafened after all their attempts at that spell and its counter. I shouted my next instructions over the ringing in my ears.

"Finally, the silencing charm: silencio! It's temporary even without the counter, but if you bugger it up the target will balloon up and be louder! So, until you can cast it perfectly, only try on conjured animals or objects so you don't hurt anything living!"

This was an O.W.L. level spell, but I figured with practice, they might be able to get it. None of them did as I was teaching it, though Hermione came close.

After that, I looked out at their exhausted faces and declared that enough. I called Flopsy for some food as I realized Hermione at least hadn't had supper, and they ate without chatter.

I saw them through to the Gryffindor dorms and an idea popped into my head. "If you can teach any of these emergency spells to other students, I'll give you extra credit. You'll have to bring each student you teach to demonstrate for the points. And, if students you teach, teach other students, they can get points as well! Goodnight."  
Hermione's eyes gleamed at the opportunity, and I left them finally, to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is basic first aid not taught to children, since they're always getting cuts and scrapes? School could be so much more practical. It would have been nice to be taught life skills like how to plan and prepare your meals for the day, how to regulate your emotions in healthy ways, conflict resolution, how to do taxes, and how to mend a hole in your shirt.
> 
> Plus, at least when I went to school, there was a move towards letting kids figure stuff out themselves. It drove me nuts! Teachers are supposed to instruct you! I'm still unclear on thermodynamics because I had to do a big project on what we guessed COULD be methods of heat conduction instead of being taught what hundreds of years of science has discovered. Kids need to learn to do things themselves, yeah, but the point of school should be to share the facts we know so we can do things better.
> 
> I keep having nightmares about being unprepared in math class yet I haven't been in high school for years! This is the legacy of Western public schooling!


End file.
